Google-owned, YouTube Premium subscribers can no longer sign up to test YouTube’s picture-in-picture feature on iOS. The picture-in-picture feature has disappeared from YouTube’s list of available experimental features, where it was formerly listed with an April 8th expiry date. According to reports, some users are seeing a “The feature you’re trying has been turned off” banner notifying them that the test for picture-in-picture has ended.
YouTube’s Premium Test Made the Picture-in-Picture Feature More Seamless
Furthermore, the picture-in-picture support is available for video services generally at a system level for both iPhones and iPads, but YouTube’s support for the feature has been spotty, needing workarounds like watching it through a browser rather than via its main app. Though YouTube’s Premium test made the said feature much more seamless and enabled viewers to continue watching after they navigate away from the main YouTube app.
YouTube’s test of picture-in-picture support for Premium users was always meant to be limited. First announced in June last year, the beta period was originally set to end on October 31st, before being extended. But although the experiment was only for Premium users, last month YouTube once again confirmed it intends to launch the picture-in-picture feature for all iOS users in the US, including non-Premium users, “in the coming months.”
YouTube is Planning to Roll Out the Feature More Broadly
Moreover, the conclusion of YouTube Premium’s latest feature test means that Google’s video platform is prepared to roll out the feature more broadly. Just last month, the search giant brought picture-in-picture support to its YouTube TV service on iOS.
Read more: YouTube is Testing an New Moderation Feature to Detect Spam
Source: The Verge
